Connect with us

Uncategorized

It’s Been Two Days and Still Doesn’t Seem Real

Published

5 years ago

on

Kobe Bryant’s death was the first big celebrity death in my lifetime that really impacted me. Michael Jackson died in 2009, but I was only eight years old and had no idea who he was. I was then introduced to his music and am a huge fan of the former pop star.

But, Kobe hits different with me for some reason.

I spent a lot of my life disliking him. I am a huge MJ fan and I always thought that he was a guy that stole Jordan’s moves and made a living off of him. I always thought that if Jordan hadn’t been as good or never happened, Kobe wouldn’t have happened.

Advertisement

I never liked Kobe because I always thought he was a ball hog. I really don’t care for people that are selfish and ball hogs are selfish.

But, looking at what people said that really knew him, I believe I was wrong

On April 13, 2016 the Golden State Warriors were playing the Memphis Grizzlies in an attempt to set the NBA regular season win record of 73, one more game than the 1996 Chicago Bulls. That night, you had the Warriors trying to break the win record and Kobe Bryant’s last game. Pretty damn good night if you’re a sports fan.

I am a Warriors fan and have received plenty of crap from friends for it. I knew the Warriors were going to crush the Grizzlies and the game was kind of over before it started, so it wasn’t that fun to watch. But, I tuned in for the last four minutes of Kobe’s final game.

Advertisement

Well, he did something only the greats do. He put the Lakers on his back and won the game against the Utah Jazz. The man dropped 60 points. That and Hubie Brown going “oh, oh, oh, oh my!” when he hit the three-pointer will be something I always remember. If you’re an immature teenager you get why that’s funny. If not, good for you.

But, Kobe walked off the floor of Staples Center with people standing and applauding, hugging his teammates, coaches, etc.

Since then, I honestly forgot about Kobe. Until this past Sunday.

I hopped on Twitter to see what was happening and kept seeing people tweeting “please tell me this is fake” and I had no idea what was going on. Then I saw TMZ’s report that Kobe had been killed in a plain crash. The first thing I did was call my dad and told him. We talked for about five minutes and then hung up the phone. I sat there for the next two hours stunned, emotional, and shaken. Nothing had really hit me like this before.

Advertisement

I’ve been lucky to not have any close family members die and not a lot of tragic things happen in my life. I never met Kobe, never really cared for him, he lived on the other side of the country, and yet I was crushed when I saw the news.

A legend in the game of basketball, one of the best to ever do it. A guy that worked so hard on his craft, cared so much about basketball, wanted to win so bad. A guy that cared for his family so much. We had just lost of that.

I got locked out of Twitter for some reason that night, so I didn’t have to see anything about it until the afternoon of Monday. Probably was best but I still have no idea why Twitter locked me out.

Kobe was a legend. He touched so many people. The influx of tributes on social media is something that I have never really seen. That’s how you know that someone had a major impact on not only the sports world, but the world itself.

Advertisement

When I get on social media I am quickly reminded of his passing. I get this knot in my stomach and get depressed. I’ve watched his final game and 81 point game probably 15 times each and every time I cannot watch with happiness.

The thing that’s even harder is the fact that his 13 year old daughter, Gianna, perished in the accident too, along with seven others. So many people lost loved ones. I cannot even imagine how hard that is and really don’t even want to think about it.

Kobe Bryant was a legend. His daughter was a rising superstar who had pretty much nailed all of her dads moves at 13 years old. She was a stud, her dad was a stud, and they along with the others killed, will be missed forever.

With all this, we are reminded how short and valuable life is. It can be taken away from us in an instant with no reason and the people we leave behind grieve and are forced to move on.

Advertisement

If nothing else, this tragic event should remind us all to tell our loved ones that we love them every night. I definitely do not do it enough. Hug them, kiss them, and cherish every moment you have with them. Because in an instant, it can be taken away.

Advertisement
Related Topics:
Advertisement

Uncategorized

Kentucky vs. Mississippi State: TV/Streaming Info, Preview, and Betting Odds/Predictions

Published

2 weeks ago

on

January 11, 2025

By

Kentucky Wildcats center Amari Williams (22) celebrates after making a basket.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Coming off a disappointing loss to Georgia, the Kentucky Wildcats will hit the road again on Saturday, this time against the 14th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Led by third-year head coach Chris Jans, the Bulldogs currently hold their highest ranking since the 2018-19 season. It’s not been due to a poor schedule either, as the Bulldogs have the eighth-strongest strength of record according to ESPN, including four Quad I wins.

Ranked top 25 in KenPom offensive and defensive efficiency, Mississippi State is just one of 11 teams that fit that criteria. That said, Kentucky is 2-0 against such teams as Duke and Florida.

Advertisement

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Rebounding Battle

Kentucky’s biggest issue of late has been rebounding, which Mark Pope called a “major issue” after the loss to Georgia. The Wildcats have been outrebounded in four straight games, including Brown, and have given up double-digit offensive rebounds in back-to-back games to start SEC play.

The rebounding battle is not going to be any easier against Mississippi State, who ranks 30th in rebounds per game (39.3) and grabs 34.4% of their own misses.

On paper, Kentucky has more size, and it will be important for ALL five players to box out. As they teach in youth basketball, Hit-Turn-Drive-Purse.

Advertisement

Take Care of the Ball

Kentucky has been one of the top ten teams in the country in taking care of the ball, but they coughed it up 13 times to Georgia, their second-highest mark of the season.

On the other side, Mississippi State is really good at forcing turnovers. Per game, the Bulldogs turn their opponent over nearly 15 times. About ten of those come from steals, where they rank in the top 10 nationally.

Kentucky has scored more than 1 point per possession this season, so think of it as leaving points on the board. They need to commit nine or fewer turnovers.

Physicality

The officiating has not been great in Kentucky’s first two SEC contests. However, that’s just part of the game. As Mark Pope says, only focus on what you can control.

Advertisement

One thing they can focus on and control is their level of physicality. The Cats responded to the physicality of Florida but never matched it against Georgia, and that is a big reason why they lost.

Again, Kentucky has the size, but they have to show the mentality. In the SEC you have to be the most physical team or meet the level every night out. It’s time for the Cats to step up in this regard.

Opposing Players to Watch

G Josh Hubbard 5-11, 190 lbs

  • 17.1 PPG (T-9th in SEC)
  • 3.3 APG
  • 38.2% 3P

F Keshawn Murphy 6-10, 230 lbs

  • 9.9 PPG
  • 7.7 RPG (9th in SEC)
  • 1.3 BPG

F Cameron Matthews 6-7, 235 lbs

  • 6.9 RPG
  • 4.1 APG (8th in SEC)
  • 2.5 SPG (1st in SEC)

Kentucky Basketball vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Time: 8:30 PM ET
Date: January 11th, 2024
Location: Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi
TV Channel: SEC Network
Announcers: Dave Neal and Jon Sundvold will call the action.
Online Stream: You can stream the game online using ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | MISS ST
Stats to Know: UK | MISS ST
KenPom: UK | MISS ST
Team Sheet: UK | MISS ST

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky as a 4.5-point underdog with an over/under of 161.5. ESPN is the most confident in Kentucky’s chances to win… at just 36.8%. EvanMiya is the most pessimistic, giving the Cats just a 28.1% chance of victory. Bart Torvik (33%) and KenPom (31%) fall in between.

Advertisement

Predictions: The analytics have Kentucky losing by 5+ points in Starkville. Haslametrics has Kentucky losing 86-79. EvanMiya has the Cats losing 82-76. Bart Torvik (85-80) and KenPom (84-79) are going with a five-point loss. I think Kentucky struggles again with another physical team that is more talented than Georgia or Ohio State. I believe Kentucky will drop a second straight, 78-72.

How do you see this one going? Send us your Kentucky vs. Mississippi State score predictions in the comments section!

Go Cats!!

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Uncategorized

Mark Pope Calls Kentucky’s Rebounding Effort Against Georgia “Unacceptable”, “It’s a Sign of Distraction”

Published

2 weeks ago

on

January 8, 2025

By

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope looks on from the sidelines as the Wildcats play Georgia.
Dale Zanine | Imagn

Mark Pope has the utmost respect for his players and that is why he is honest with them. After the Wildcats’ 82-69 loss to Georgia on Tuesday, Pope was honest about his team’s rebounding effort and he was not pleased, to say the least.

“That’s a bell we got to ring,” Pope said after the game. “It’s unacceptable for us. It’s a sign of distraction. There were so many uncharacteristic plays on the court tonight. For us as a decision-making team, those are manifestations of some distraction.”

To fix that problem, Pope says the team has to get better at rooting out that distraction and building better habits. This is something he highlighted after Kentucky’s loss to Ohio State as well.

Advertisement

Highlighting the glass as a “major issue”, it’s not for lack of effort.

“Sometimes, when you start on a project you take ten steps backward before you start to make progress,” Pope said. “It feels like that is what’ve done. It feels like the more that we talk about it, the more we drill it, the more of a challenge it is.”

Find his full press conference below.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Uncategorized

Mark Pope Updated Lamont Butler’s Status Going Forward, “It’s An Interesting Thing”

Published

1 month ago

on

December 20, 2024

By

Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) is helped to his feet by his teammates.
IMAGN

On Wednesday during his pre-Ohio State press conference, Coach Pope provided a brief update on the injury status of Lamont Butler who suffered an ankle injury against Clemson.

Even though Butler was able to play against Louisville, playing 32 minutes on a recently injured ankle could possibly lead to a setback. When discussing Butler’s injury on Wednesday, Coach Pope jokingly said: “Lamont’s ankle is an interesting thing because there’s part of me that wants to get it 100% healthy, and then there’s a part of me that, I don’t know if I want to get it 100% healthy. He was pretty good in that Louisville game.” Pope was smiling as he said that, referring to Butler scoring 33 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, and shooting perfectly from the field. 

Pope went on to explain that the UK coaching staff is being careful with Butler and currently holding him “out of contact” in practice. This means he’s doing the individual drills, offensive breakdown concepts, but when it comes to live action, Butler is not participating. 

Advertisement

The good news for BBN, Pope ended his update on Butler by saying, “I think he’s over it, I think we’ve moved on, hopefully”. This is a good update on Butler and certainly infers that he should have no limitations for Saturday’s game against Ohio State.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending